The Sacrament of Reconciliation

What is the deal with y'all needing a priest for salvation? Recently I was confronted by this question by one of my non-Catholic friends. At the moment I didn't really know, but I told him about the sacrament hoping that that would help him figure it out. But I realized that I really should know why so that I could fully understand the sacrament.

What I found really enlightened me. First, there are two kinds of sin: mortal and venial. Venial sin does not sever your relationship with God, it only damages it. So, technically, you don't need to go to confession for those sins. Those sins get forgiven over time and prayer with God. An example would be your friend keeps on asking you to go to his house and you tell him that you have homework and he sees you going to your other friends house. Your relationship would be hurt, but not severed. Over time he would forgive you by you going to his house a lot. You still have to apologize, but not as severely.

However, mortal sin is different. The sin has to be bad, you have to know its bad, and you have to freely choose to do it. If all of these conditions are true, then you have severed your relationship with God. It would be like if your girlfriend or boyfriend asked you to go see a movie with them and you told her you couldn't, but then you went with one of your friends and he or she was there and saw you with someone else. They would most definitely break off your relationship right on the spot. Of course this a bad example because it isn't God that breaks off the relationship, its you. For these sins you must go to confession. The Eternal punishment of you defying God gets forgiven through Reconciliation, but the temporal punishment is still with you forever saying I severed my relationship with God.

The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive

The glory of God is Man fully alive. What in the world does this sentence mean? Well, to start, we would have to understand what the glory of God is.

Someone living in the moment to the highest extent and he can't be more sure that the action he is partaking in is the right one at that moment in time; that is the glory of God. Someone choosing the right thing even though they could have easily taken the easier path away from God; that is the glory of God. Someone having fun purely without things that abuse his or her body; that is the glory of God. Some one who makes other people's lives better by having a positive attitude; that is the glory of God. Being awesome just because you can is the glory of God. It is an idea, one that cannot be fully signified but requires a person's complete honesty with themselves. I guess the most basic way to summarize it is if you are living the way Jesus would at that moment, you are living in the glory of God.

Now that we sort of kind of understand what it is like to live in the glory of God, we can try to understand what "man fully alive" means. The glory of God could be a metaphor for man fully alive. Or maybe man fully alive is exactly what it says: man the least dead possible. However if you look at the former part of the sentence, man fully alive probably means the same thing as the glory of God. So, when we say that the glory of God is man fully alive, we say live the way Jesus would or you aren't living the best way that you possibly can. God sent Jesus, his only Son, not only to redeem us for our sins and give us a place in heaven, but also to give us an example to live by and for, so that we would always know what to do and what not to do. Jesus' example should carry on throughout our lives and we should always live like him. However, we do fall short sometimes by sinning, which is not man fully alive. Sin is the opposite of the glory of God, and therefore the opposite of man fully alive. So in short, if you don't sin you are being man fully alive.


So often the comfort zone is the thing that we stay in. We refuse to be creative or have too much confidence, because that would use effort. However, in the glory of God is man fully alive, we are called to go outside of the comfort zone in order to live rather than just survive. More fun and success comes from the outside of the circle than just surviving and mediocrity. So try to go outside of the comfort zone and be who you are called to be.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day that should be more widely celebrated. After all, without moms, where would we be? God put Eve in the Garden of Eden as the Mother figure to all creation. The woman would strike at the serpent's head while the serpent strikes at her heel. Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God, even though, because He is God, Jesus ultimately did not need a mother. In the wedding at Cana, Mary told Jesus to fill up the jars with wine because the party throwers ran out. Jesus tried to resist just like any normal kid, but ultimately he did his mothers will out of respect and obedience. We need our mothers to take care of us! Enjoy and tell your mother you love her!

Ronald Davis

         In chicago there is a man named Ronald Davis who has been standing on the sidewalk for years trying to earn money just so that he can eat and try to have a fresh start at life. The thing that really bothers him  everyday when he is on the street is that people will call him a bum, and he knows just because he is on the street doesnt mean hes a bum everyone is a human being. One person said to him, "Go and get a job you bum!" That frustrated me when I heard that. You dont know if that homeless person on  the corner has been trying to get a job his whole life. Haven't you ever stopped and looked at the clothes they have or maybe the fact that they dont have a phone. Ronald has tried several times to go out and get a job, but when he goes in to apply he isn't presentable and doesn't have a phone to receive calls from the business to know if he got the job or not. Just because someone didnt have the advantages like you might doesnt mean hes a bum. You dont know what they have gone through, not everyone on the street is using that money to go and by drugs. If giving them money is a problem then go out and my a big variety pack of chips and when you see a homeless man on the street give him a couple bags of chips so that he can eat. Also, by doing that your serving God.

A Person is a Person, no Matter How Small

"A person's a person, no matter how small"- Dr. Suess

 

 

Ronald Davis is a homeless man who really hates the fact that he cannot get a job in the modern society. He says that every time he tries to go get a job, they tell him to leave a phone number, which he obviously doesn't have if he is homeless. The fact that sometimes people look down at the man for being homeless is awful. However, in today's society, it is true that some people fake being homeless to make a little extra money. It is true that media tell those of us in cars not to give money to the homeless because if they really need it, they can go to a homeless shelter or a food pantry to get what it is that they need. Despite this, Ronald should not feel that some people think of him less than human because he is homeless. People that call him names really are the only thing that makes him mad. He can stand it that all these people go home and have lives. But what he can't stand is that he should be viewed as a human being as compared to every other person.

 

 

Dr. Suess once said "A person's a person no matter how small." This really applies in this situation with Mr. Davis. No matter how "low" in life you have to stoop in order to survive, a person is a person. This video is a wake up call to all of those people. It really gives you the perspective and positive attitudes of these people who have the most awful problems that humans can experience.

Kentucky Woman Is "Catholic" Priest

Seems pretty ironic. Recently there was a woman who decided not to "wait" for the Roman Catholic Church to change their views on not allowing women to be priests (whatever that means because the Catholic Church will never change what Jesus said). The woman decided to state "It has no sting for me, It is a Medieval bullying stick the bishops used to keep control over people and to keep the voices of women silent. I am way beyond letting octogenarian men tell us how to live our lives." in regard to being excommunicated from the Catholic Church. First of all, I would like to point out that these men are octogenarians, or old dudes, because they have experience and know what is right. This woman believes that she is leading everybody and proving that the Church is Catholic (universal) by bringing universality to the Priesthood. This would be good and fine, except for the fact that by definition of the Catholic Church, you believe that only men should be priests because that is the way that Jesus instantiated the Church. The thing about the Catholic faith is that it is not universal in terms of "you can pick and choose which parts of it you believe in." Jesus distinctly gave us a very concise faith that we are called to believe to be one with God. This woman is considered schismatic by the Catholic Church, the worst of the wounds to unity because it not only separates one's self from God, but also the souls of others.

Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

Today I am going to talk about the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano. This event had taken place in 8th century A.D. in the church of St. Legontian. During the holy mass after two fold consecration the flesh was changed into life flesh and the blood into live blood. In 1981 there were several scientific tests that proved it to be True flesh from the muscular part of the heart and that the blood was true blood with the blood type AB, which is the same blood type in the shroud of turin. They have been left in their natural state for twelve centuries which is really interesting. When they interviewed the basilian monk he had said that he did not truly believe that Jesus was in the Eucharist. At every mass around the world a miracle happens, the bread and wine turn into Jesus' flesh and blood. The reason why this is so important is because it actually turned into the real flesh and blood.

The Catecumenate

The Catechumenate period is and should be a long one. It lasts at least a year or more.  During the catechumenate period you come to mass weekly and become a part of the assembled people of God by participating in the Liturgy of the Word. It is expected that in making yourself a part of the worshipping community, you participate in parish events as is the duty of all Catholics. You also have to show a readiness to turn to God in prayer, be a witness to Christ and keep your hopes focused on God. You must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and show a sincere love of neighbor. You grow in strength with Gods’ blessing by being present and active in this process. After the Liturgy of the Word, you get dismissed to further feed your hunger for our God.

St. Vincent de Paul

The Man

Born to a family of peasant farmers in 1581 with four brothers and two sisters, Vincent did not go to school until he was 15, showing a mastery of reading and writing. He studied theology and humanity in college, being ordained at age 19 in 1600. On the way back from Toulouse he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave where he spent 2 years in bondage until he escaped.

 

 

The Society

In organizing the Society, Ozanam (The founder) modeled the rule upon the same principles that were in vogue in the seventeenth century. The rules adopted were very simple; it was forbidden to discuss politics or personal concerns at the meetings, and it was settled that the work should be the service of God in the persons of the poor, whom the members were to visit at their own dwellings and assist by every means in their power. The service of the members was to embrace, without distinction of creed or race, the poor, the sick, the infirm, and the unemployed. It is a noteworthy fact that, at the first Vincentian meeting, there was enunciated by Père Bailly a principle of vital importance, now universally accepted wherever organized charity is known, namely that the service of the poor ought to consist not merely of the doling out of alms, but must be made a medium of moral assistance and that each member should help in his special line. Simplicity characterizes the society. The membership is divided into three classes, active, subscribing, and honorary. The active membership is composed of Christian men who desire to unite in a communion of prayers and a participation in the same works of charity. Subscribing and honorary members are those who "cannot devote themselves to the works in which the society is engaged but who assist the active members by their influence, their offerings and prayers". In the make-up of its membership the society is most democratic. Men of all walks of life are engaged in its service; the lawyer, the doctor, the professional and business man freely mingle with the untutored laboring man in relieving the wants of the poor. The conference is the unit of the society and is an integral part of the parish organization. While the clergy are not included in the normal membership, they are always welcomed in the work. The conference exists only with the approval of the pastor who as spiritual director enters actively into the work. Women are excluded from membership, but through auxiliary associations or as benefactresses they may co-operate in the work and share the numerous indulgences. The business of each conference is administered by a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer who constitute the board of the conference. The president is elected by the conference, while the other officers are appointed by the president with the advice of the board. The parish conferences hold weekly meetings. 

The Church as One

The first mark of the Church is one. In One, the Church expresses its unity, uniqueness, and the fact that it is the ONE Church that God intended for. I know, all of the non-Catholics get offended or touchy when we say this, but its true: God intended only for the Catholic Church, the One Church that God wanted people to be part of so that they could come back into communion with Him.

First, when we say in the Nicene Creed at Mass and we say that the Church is One, we state our belief that the Church is unique and that it is a singular Church, not multiple Churches, with its source as the one God. Jesus says in John's Gospel that through Him is the only way to salvation: "I am the way, the truth, the light; no one comes to the Father, but through me" (John 14: 6). By establishing this One Church, Jesus gave us the opportunity to believe in God and come into communion with him at the end.

Next, by saying that the Church is One, we agree that the Church is fully and completely organized and united under the Holy Spirit. The three ways that we can see that the Church is united are unity in faith, worship, and leadership. The creeds are the way that we express the Church's unity in faith under the Holy Spirit. The seven Sacraments are ways that we as Catholics celebrate unity in worship. And finally, the unity of leadership is shown through Holy Orders. The three wounds to unity in the Church are apostasy, schism, and heresy. Apostasy is the total rejection of God by a baptized Christian. Schism is the rejection of unity of the pope with someone that is already baptized. Schism is often the worst of these wounds because it typically breaks more than just yourself from unity with the Church. And Heresy is the deliberate and persistent rejection of some Doctrine of Faith or morals in the Church.

Apolicity Mark

There are four marks of the church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Today im going to talk about the Apostolic mark. The church is apostolic meaning it was founded on the twelve apostles chosen by Christ. They were Christs servants in spreading the word of God to the ends of the earth. The threefold sense that the the church is founded on include: Apostolic Foundation, Apostolic Faith, and Apostolic Succession. Apostolic foundation means that it was founded on the apostles. Second is Apostolic Faith meaning the church guards and transmits, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the teachings of the apostles. Lastly, is apostolic Succession which means that the church continues the tradition of being taught, sanctified, and directed by the apostles i the persons of their successors the bishops. You can only trace your lineage back to the apostles if you are a bishop or a Pope. They are also responsible for preserving and proclaiming the teaching of Christ that has been passed down from the apostles in scripture and in the church's Sacred Tradition.

Miracles

The things that don't follow physics, biology, or chemistry. Of course, without God, there would be no science, so it makes since that God can bend the "rules" to make something extraordinary happen every once in a while. The truth is that God preforms miracles every day at Mass. God sends the Holy Spirit down through transubstantiation in the Liturgy of the Eucharist to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Babies being born, Marian apparitions, incorruptible bodies, good grades, people that suddenly can see and have been blind their whole life, and other extraordinary things that are divinely moved by God are considered miracles. God said: "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." (Matthew 17:20)

God in "The Lion King"

I was sitting at home watching tv and "The Lion King" came on. As I started to watch it I was just thinking how it might relate to the bible. I realized that it relates to the story of Moses. Simba and Moses are both princes who were exiled for being accused of murder. While they are exiled they start to mature and basically just hangout until God/Mufasa tells him to go back to his homeland. So, both Simba and Moses both go to their homeland and free their people from the evil ruler Scar/Pharoah. In the end they say, "You see he (Mufasa) lives in you." Since Mufasa is God he lives in Simba like he lives in the hearts of all the christians. Mufasa died to save Simba just like Jesus died to save us from sin. "The Lion King" is filled with several biblical stories. The next time you watch a movie try and see if you can relate it to a story in the Bible.

Four Marks

There are four marks of the church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. First I want to talk about how the church is one. The church is one because its unique, singular, and there is only one God. There is nothing in the world like the church that we catholics have. Second, the church is Holy. The church is Holy because it was established by Christ, Christ is God and God is the most Holy of all things. Third, the Church is Catholic, meaning universal. The church is catholic/universal because it is all around the world. The faith has been spread to the ends of the earth dating back to the apostles. Lastly, the church is apostolic. It is apostolic because it was founded on the apostles with St. Peter as its rock. These four marks define the church. There is no other religion in the world that has these four marks. 

Basics of the Sacraments

The sacraments are gifts given to us to help us get closer to God and to be cleansed from sin. There are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, holy orders, anointing of the sick, holy matrimony, reconciliation, and Eucharist. The sacrament of baptism is usually taken as a baby. The priest will wash you with water and oil, cleaning original sin from your soul. The sacrament after baptism is the sacrament of communion. This sacramrnt will usually happen when a child is in second grade. The sacrament allows you too eat the Eucharist and drink the blood. The next sacrament is confirmation which is taken around your sophomore year in highschool. It is confirming you full initiation into the church. The sacrament is done by the laying of the hands. The next two sacraments which cann be done several. Times are reconciliation and anointing of the sick. Recolnciliation is a sacrament used to ask God for his forgiveness for the sins you have committed. Anointing of the sick is a sacrament given to those who are in a near death situation and need Gods help for survival or just there is no more suffering. The last two sacraments include holy orders and holy matrimony. Holy orders is a sacrament for people who want to devote the rest of their life to God. Lastly, holy matrimony is a sacrament for a couple who are united together under God with Love. These seven sacraments are only for those who are catholic.

Why Theology is Important

Short answer: It brings clarification. Long answer: Unlike the way teachers so often present it, theology is not a settled issue of firmly established facts. Theology is theory, forever alive and growing. In the early Church questions arose about doctrine and something to answer them had to be developed. For instance, in the Acts of the Apostles, the Church was faced with the problem of what to do with all the Gentiles who wanted to take part in the salvation of man. Did they have to become Jews first, before they could be saved? Or was entrance into Christianity by grace alone? And then, even if it was by grace, shouldn't they follow the laws of Judaism? Later on, people began wondering who, precisely, was Jesus? Was he really God, or simply an emanation, or maybe a created being? These questions were all answered by studying the Bible, God's special revelation, and the universe, God's general revelation, and finding out what they say. Theology gives us the answers about the Church that we want to know in order to fully understand the Church and what It is that made the Church.

The Bible

Sometimes when i have a big problem and i have no idea what to do about it, I will usually grab my bible, open it to a random page, and start reading. The Bible is full of answers for anything that you may run into in your life. For example, "God works all things together for good" - Romans 8:28.This verse says that God does everything for a Good reason even though you may not like it you just need to trust in him and believe that there will be better to come. You can also use the bible as a tool to pray when you want his forgiveness or really need his help in your life. The bible was written by apostles and people who were being guided by the Holy Spirit so you know that God was the one in which the scriptures initially came from. The Bible is a really good tool if you ever need guidance in your life.

Why are there 2 Creeds?

At the Easter Sunday Mass this past weekend, when we said the Nicene Creed, I wondered why we had the Nicene Creed as well as the Apostle's Creed, and what the differences were. At a regular Mass we always say the Nicene Creed, but in the case of a children's Mass or in the Rosary, we pray the Apostle's Creed. Why is that?

When I finally looked it up, I found out that the Apostle's Creed is called that because it was used on the day of Pentecost and was the basic sum-up of the Church's beliefs to the people that crowded around the apostles that day. The council of Nicaea was an Ecumenical Council in 325 A.D. that had the sole purpose of proving that the Arianism, or the belief that Jesus was not divine, was wrong. So, a more precise Creed was made in the Nicene Creed. Later, in 381, the Council of Constantinople modified the Nicene Creed and adopted a creed written by St.Epiphanius of Salamis, called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol, which is the Creed that we say in Mass starting in around 500 A.D.

How to Pray

I know that sometimes there are teens out there that are struggling on how to pray. Sometimes I feel the same way and I don't know what to say or pray for. I have learned over the years that when you pray you need to talk to him like you were talking to a really close friend of yours. That's what i do now and it actually feels like I am talking to my friend, but something that you should not do is pray to him only when you want something from him. Think of it as one of your friends only talks to you when he wants to get homework answers right before class starts or when he needs to borrow money. Well, that is how you are treating God when you pray to him only when you want something. So all you have to do is pray for at least five minutes a day and talk to God like hes is one of your friends.

The Mass

Let's start simply. The first thing that most teenagers think of when people say something related to the Church is how boring and long the Mass is. However, if you were to truly know and believe what happens in the Mass, you would want to go every day and partake in the true nature of the Mass.

At the beginning of the Mass, Scripture is read, usually a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, and two from the New Testament. I hope that all of us have aspirations to end up in heaven after we die. Imagine that you are being talked to by God in heaven and He is telling you his life story. That is exactly what you are experiencing when you listen to Scripture in the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass. After the end of the Gospel, The priest or deacon gives a homily on the Scripture that you just listened to. The homily translates the scripture (which can sometimes be hard to understand considering it was written thousands of years ago) and puts it into your native language at the current time so that you can understand it more fully. Then comes the heart of and soul of the Mass (no pun intended), a reenactment. We reenact the Last Supper that Jesus performed thousands of years ago. So after all these thousands of years, the priest says the exact same words that Jesus said at the supper before he died. The priest proceeds to transform, right in front of your eyes, the bread into the actual body of Jesus. After this takes place he turns the wine into the actual blood of Jesus. When we go up to eat the body and blood of Christ, we literally eat Jesus' body and drink His blood. After Communion, the final blessing is said, and we get to go back to our home and do whatever it is that we do on Sunday's but we try to abstain from excessive work.

Summing it all up, if you like hearing stories about superheroes that have every superpower that ever was, if you like it when stories about superheroes are sometimes confusing and people simplify them for you so that you can understand them better, if you happen to like history and you like present day reenactments of historical events, if you like magic (except this time its not a trick) where something actually transforms into something else, then the Mass is for you!

Purpose

The focus of this blog is to help teenagers understand more fully the Catholic faith. We will try to relate to problems you may be facing in relation to the faith in order to allow you to fully connect.